


Smoke

by Eggling



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: M/M, Season 6B, coda to a non-existent episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-10-11 11:52:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10464285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eggling/pseuds/Eggling
Summary: The Doctor and Jamie land on the planet of sentient smoke. Unfortunately, their hosts are just as dangerous as any alien menace they’ve ever faced.





	

**Author's Note:**

> for [keatulie](keatulie.tumblr.com).

“We are grateful, Doctor.” The Queen of the Ahhli’s voice was musical, echoing eerily as her wraith-like form swirled through the ceremonial jar. “You shall be granted anything you wish in return for your assistance.”

“Oh, ah, that’s quite alright, thank you,” the Doctor replied in alarm. Being offered rewards was always so messy and embarrassing. “All I require is to be returned to my companion and for us to be on our way.” He paused. “Where is Jamie, your highness? Your people did promise to look after him.”

“He is with the younglings.” She shimmered in a way the Doctor had come to recognise as amusement, and grew slightly more lavender-coloured. The Doctor had no idea what the latter action could possibly convey, nor was he particularly interested in finding out at that moment.

“But – but they’re ruthless!” he spluttered. “The scourge of the four galaxies! Your highness, please -”

“Yes, they are,” the Queen said thoughtfully. Never before, the Doctor reflected, had he been quite so enraged by a wisp of royal smoke in a jar. “I expect they are enjoying themselves. They seemed to be when Lord Arriar visited earlier.” A turquoise wisp bobbed up and down respectfully at the mention of his name.

“Oh – I -” The Doctor darted from the room, barely remembering to throw an “excuse me, your majesty” over his shoulder as he left. The thought of anyone, let alone Jamie, being left alone to the tender mercies of those creatures – for them to slide through his chest and burn him from the inside – it was unthinkable. He was beginning to regret ever coming to this planet – he should certainly have never left Jamie on his own.

His temporarily privilege of safe and unhindered passage through the city still seemed to be in effect – none of the many guards stopped him as he tore past them. A few of the nursemaids formed tendrils and reached out towards him questioningly as he ran through the nursery building, but he ignored them until he came face to face with a pair of locked doors.

“Jamie!” he called out desperately, banging on the closer door. “Jamie, can you hear me? Jamie?”

“Do you require assistance?” A reddish-tinted nursemaid floated towards him. Her form was fairly tightly-held and circular, the Doctor noted – a young recruit, then. Good. She would not want to deny him for risk of going against her queen.

“Yes! My friend Jamie, where is he?” he demanded, rounding on her and making her flame dark red in alarm.

“In that nursery, of course,” she replied, sounding a little bemused but gesturing to the other door nonetheless.

“Can you open it?” The Doctor was practically bouncing from one foot to another in impatience.

“Well, yes, of course, but -”

“Then do it!”

The nursemaid complied at his dangerous tone, drifting over to the door and twisting before it in a complex pattern of twirls and shapes. With a great clunk, the door unlatched itself. “I really wouldn’t interrupt them, you know,” she put in mildly, but the Doctor ignored her, bursting through the door and emerging into what seemed to be a peaceful forest clearing.

“Jamie?” he called out warily. “Jamie, are you there?”

Stepping forwards, he felt the tell-tale crunch of synthetic grass under his feet, and winced. If the Ahhli children encountered any organic matter, they consumed it instantly – not even their environment was safe from their ravenous hunger. Surely Jamie would not have stood a chance. Stepping forward, the Doctor braced himself for the worst, trying not to imagine Jamie’s terror as the creatures overwhelmed him.

To his immense surprise and relief, however, Jamie seemed to be unharmed, sitting cross-legged on the ground as if unaware of the danger – though for how much longer, the Doctor could not say. Horrified, he watched as a little grey wisp floated towards Jamie until it was just above his lap. He smiled at it and reached up to twirl the smoke at the top of its head into a little curl, making the creature let out a sound that the Doctor could only imagine indicated hunger. Others were bobbing around the edges, weaving in and out of trees, creeping closer. They were moving in for the kill.

Instinctively, the Doctor leapt forwards. “Jamie!” he cried out, reaching out towards him. Jamie looked up in alarm, and immediately the child in his lap turned towards the Doctor, emitted a high-pitched shriek, and transformed from a harmless-looking wisp of smoke to a towering column of flame, making Jamie lean backwards and shield his face from the heat. The Doctor started towards it, made as if to pull Jamie away, but there was no way to get him out of there without him getting burnt. There was no way out – they were going to die there, terrified and burning -

The waves of heat halted. The creature had turned back into its smoke form, bouncing and chattering happily as Jamie stroked at its sides gently, forming it back into a tight ball. It chirruped at him, of all things, and he smiled in return.

“Oh,” was all the Doctor could say, sagging against a plastic tree. “Oh, Jamie, I was so worried.” Jamie looked up at him, eyes sparkling and still grinning widely, and the Doctor felt as if his heart had stopped after all. “Why haven’t they got you? What makes you special?” He stepped forwards, and a hint of flame started to smoulder within the children. Jamie looked around at them sternly.

“The Doctor’s a friend,” he warned them. “Hurt him and I’ll be very angry.” The children shrank back, though the one in his lap seemed to lean towards the Doctor threateningly. “Come on over. They won’t hurt ye.”

Gingerly, the Doctor sat himself down beside Jamie, inching closer and reaching out towards the child that Jamie was cradling. It let out a tendril of smoke, which it proceeded to wrap around his arm – not so different from a humanoid baby grabbing onto something, the Doctor reflected.

“Oh!” he exclaimed after a moment. “Goodness, that does tickle a bit, doesn’t it?”

“Ye get used to it,” Jamie told him. “Come here, Ellionoir, dinnae bother the Doctor.”

“You named them?”

“Och, hush ye. I had to call them something, didn’t I?”

“I still don’t understand how you did it.” The Doctor shifted over to nestle more comfortably against Jamie’s side. “What exactly happened? What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Jamie said. “They told me to wait in here – they seemed awfully pleased about that – and locked the door and left. Then the babies came out of the trees and surrounded me, and I remembered what you’d said, and -” He paused, swallowing nervously at the horror of the memory, and the Doctor wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “But they just stayed there. Sort of looking at me. I didn’t know what tae do, so I just sat down, and they’ve been drifting around ever since.” He looked down at the wisp in his lap. “They’re nae so bad, really. Just wee puffs of smoke.”

The Doctor looked up at Jamie in wonder, reaching up to ruffle his hair affectionately. “You really are extraordinary, aren’t you?”

Jamie ducked his head away in embarrassment. “Och, dinnae be silly. I’m no’ extraordinary.”

“Well, I think you are. But the Queen intended for you to die here,” the Doctor pointed out. “I think she saw me as a threat to her authority and wanted to display her power.” He leant over to rest his head on Jamie’s shoulder. “Oh, Jamie, I could have lost you.”

Jamie kissed his forehead lingeringly. “But ye didn’t.”

“I’ve already lost you once – and I was lucky enough to get you back, and I’ve gone and nearly lost you again – and it was all my _fault_ -”

“Ye couldn’t have known what she was planning,” Jamie said. “And nothing happened to me. I’m still here.”

“I know – oh, come here.” The Doctor raised his head and wrapped his arms more tightly around Jamie, disturbing the wisp in his lap and making it shriek in displeasure until Jamie quietened it.

“Back tae the TARDIS?” he asked.

“In a while,” the Doctor said quietly. “Jamie?”

“Aye?”

“Promise you’re not going anywhere?”

“Promise.” Jamie nuzzled into the Doctor’s hair, finally relaxing completely. “Dinnae worry, mo leannan. I’m staying right here.”


End file.
